KR102524183B1 - Apparatus and method for load balancing in charging station of batteries for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a load balancing device and method for a vehicle battery charging station, in a charging station equipped with a plurality of battery slots capable of replacing a discharged vehicle battery with a charged vehicle battery through battery swapping, supplying from the outside When charging the vehicle battery installed in each battery slot through the commercial power source or the power supplied from the uninterruptible power supply due to a power outage or emergency, the vehicle battery is fully charged by referring to the current state of charge of each vehicle battery. A load balancing device and method for a vehicle battery charging station capable of increasing charging efficiency of each vehicle battery by performing load balancing to reduce the time required for charging.

Description

Load balancing device and method for vehicle battery charging station

The present invention relates to a load balancing device and method for a vehicle battery charging station, and more particularly, to a charging station equipped with a plurality of battery slots capable of replacing a discharged vehicle battery with a charged vehicle battery through battery swapping. , When charging the vehicle battery installed in each battery slot through the commercial power supplied from the outside or the power supplied from the uninterruptible power supply due to a power outage or emergency, each vehicle battery is referred to the current state of charge. A load balancing apparatus and method for a vehicle battery charging station capable of increasing the charging efficiency of each vehicle battery by performing load balancing to shorten the time required for full charging of the vehicle battery.

Transportation means such as automobiles and motorcycles enrich human life and are indispensable consumer goods for daily life, but are the main culprit of environmental pollution due to exhaust gas.

In order to reduce such environmental pollution, the automobile industry is focusing on developing and popularizing EVs (Electric Vehicles) such as electric vehicles and electric scooters, and the electric vehicle industry can be said to be a solution to environmental protection and automobile technology development.

However, in the use of electric vehicles, which are attracting attention due to air pollution and rapidly changing energy environment, infrastructure such as electric vehicle charging stations, which are essential conditions directly related to the performance and utilization efficiency of electric vehicles, is lacking. In addition, the electric vehicle charging station lacks an independent charging space, and since the electric vehicle must be charged for a long time, the user has to wait for a long time.

In order to solve this problem, a charging station capable of exchanging a discharged battery for a charged battery has been developed, and the charging station is installed and used in various public places.

However, in the case of the charging station, when the power supply is cut off due to a sudden power outage or emergency situation during the charging process, there is no function to adjust the balance of the charging power supplied to each vehicle battery while continuously supplying charging power. There was a problem in that the vehicle battery could not be smoothly charged.

Therefore, in the present invention, in a charging station equipped with a plurality of battery slots capable of replacing a discharged vehicle battery with a charged vehicle battery through battery swapping, by referring to the current state of charge for each vehicle battery, the vehicle battery necessary for full charging is provided. By performing load balancing to shorten the time, it is proposed to increase the charging efficiency of each vehicle battery.

Next, the prior inventions existing in the technical field of the present invention will be briefly described, and then the technical details to be achieved by the present invention to be differentiated from the prior inventions will be described.

First, Korean Registered Patent No. 0666817 (2007.01.03.) relates to a battery balancing device and method, and periodically detects the voltages of a plurality of batteries, and if a predetermined number of batteries to be balanced exist, the battery with the highest voltage among them The batteries with the lowest voltage are selected and connected in parallel to each other, and accordingly, the battery with the highest voltage exceeding the average voltage is discharged and the battery with the lowest voltage that does not reach the average voltage is charged and balancing is completed without an external power source. It is a preceding invention.

That is, the prior invention describes a battery balancing device and method capable of maintaining a plurality of batteries in an equilibrium state without a separate loss of external energy for balancing a plurality of batteries provided in an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.

However, the present invention refers to the current charging state of each vehicle battery when charging a vehicle battery installed in each battery slot in a charging station equipped with a plurality of battery slots to shorten the time required for full charging of each vehicle battery. , Since load balancing of commercial power supplied from the outside or power supplied from an uninterruptible power supply due to a power outage or an emergency occurs, there is a significant difference between the prior art and the present invention.

In addition, Korean Patent Registration No. 1988027 (2019.06.04.) relates to a battery balancing device and method, which converts a plurality of battery cells connected in series in parallel by controlling a relay assembly to detect the voltage of individual battery cells, Accordingly, supplementary charging is performed using a separate charging device for undercharged battery cells whose voltage state of charge is sluggish compared to the rated voltage, and if there is a battery cell that is overcharged compared to the rated voltage, the undercharged battery cell is not being supplementally charged. It is a prior invention related to a balancing device and method of a battery that is connected in parallel with to eliminate overcharging.

That is, the prior invention describes a technique for preventing battery cells from being damaged and preventing battery cells from being uncharged so as to improve battery use time with maximum capacity charging.

On the other hand, the present invention refers to the current state of charge of each vehicle battery in the process of charging the vehicle battery installed in each battery slot at the charging station to shorten the time required to fully charge each vehicle battery, supplying from the outside. Since load balancing of power supplied from a commercial power source or an uninterruptible power supply device due to a power outage or an emergency occurs, the technical difference between the prior art and the present invention is obvious.

The present invention was created to solve the above problems, and in the process of charging a vehicle battery mounted in each battery slot in a charging station equipped with a plurality of battery slots, commercial power is not supplied due to a power outage or an emergency situation. It is an object of the present invention to provide a load balancing device and method for a vehicle battery charging station capable of continuously supplying charging power through an uninterruptible power supply when not in use.

In addition, when the charging station supplies charging power to the vehicle batteries installed in each battery slot, the present invention refers to the current state of charge of each vehicle battery to perform load balancing of the charging power supplied to each battery slot. Another object is to provide a load balancing device and method for a vehicle battery charging station.

In addition, the present invention improves the charging efficiency of each vehicle battery by performing load balancing to shorten the time required for full charging by referring to the current state of charge of each vehicle battery when supplying charging power to the vehicle battery installed in each battery slot. Another object is to provide a load balancing device and method for a vehicle battery charging station capable of increasing a vehicle battery charging station.

A load balancing apparatus for a vehicle battery charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power supply unit supplying power for charging vehicle batteries inserted into a plurality of battery slots provided in the charging station; and a load balancing unit for load balancing the power and supplying it to the vehicle batteries inserted into the battery slots, respectively, to receive a charge amount from each vehicle battery and perform load balancing to shorten a time required for full charging. to be characterized

In addition, the device may include a vehicle battery insertion detection unit for detecting whether a vehicle battery is inserted for each of the battery slots; and a battery state information checking unit configured to check the amount of charge of the vehicle battery inserted into each battery slot, wherein the load balancing unit, with reference to the checked amount of charge of each vehicle battery, determines the voltage and current according to the voltage and current set in advance. It is characterized in that it further comprises performing load balancing to supply power differentially.

In addition, the apparatus further includes an uninterruptible power supply unit for supplying pre-charged uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery when the power is cut off due to a power failure or an emergency situation, wherein the load balancing unit cuts off the supply of power Then, with reference to the amount of charge of each of the checked vehicle batteries, the uninterruptible power charged in the uninterruptible power supply unit is sequentially supplied in order of the vehicle batteries that can be fully charged in the fastest time among the vehicle batteries. Further performing load balancing It is characterized by including.

In addition, the apparatus further includes an uninterruptible power supply unit for supplying pre-charged uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery when the power is cut off due to a power failure or an emergency situation, wherein the load balancing unit cuts off the supply of power Then, the method may further include performing load balancing to differentially supply the uninterruptible power charged to the uninterruptible power supply unit with reference to the checked amount of charge of each vehicle battery.

In addition, the device checks whether overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharge occur in the vehicle battery, and when overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharge occur as a result of the check, a battery protection unit that cuts off power supplied to the vehicle battery; further comprising characterized by

In addition, an uninterruptible load balancing method of a vehicle battery charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a power supply step of supplying power for charging vehicle batteries each inserted into a plurality of battery slots at the charging station; And a load balancing step of load balancing the power and supplying it to the vehicle batteries inserted into the battery slots respectively; including, performing load balancing to shorten the time required for full charging by receiving a charge amount from each vehicle battery to be characterized

The method may further include a vehicle battery insertion detection step of detecting whether a vehicle battery is inserted in each of the battery slots; and a battery state information checking step of checking the amount of charge of the vehicle battery inserted for each battery slot, wherein the load balancing step refers to the checked amount of charge of each vehicle battery, and sets the voltage and current at a preset voltage and current. It characterized in that it further comprises performing load balancing to supply the power differentially.

In addition, the method further includes an uninterruptible power supply step of supplying pre-charged uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery when the power is cut off due to a power failure or an emergency situation, wherein the load balancing step comprises supplying the power When is cut off, load balancing is performed to sequentially supply the uninterruptible power charged in the uninterruptible power supply unit in the order of the vehicle batteries that can be fully charged in the fastest time among the vehicle batteries with reference to the charge amount of each of the vehicle batteries checked above. It is characterized by further including.

In addition, the method further includes an uninterruptible power supply step of supplying pre-charged uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery when the power is cut off due to a power failure or an emergency situation, wherein the load balancing step comprises supplying the power The method may further include performing load balancing for differentially supplying the uninterruptible power charged to the uninterruptible power supply unit with reference to the checked amount of charge of each vehicle battery when the voltage is cut off.

In addition, the method checks whether overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharge occur in the vehicle battery, and if overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharge occur as a result of the check, the battery protection step of cutting off power supplied to the vehicle battery; further comprising characterized by

As described above, according to the load balancing device and method for a vehicle battery charging station of the present invention, in a charging station equipped with a plurality of battery slots that receives a discharged vehicle battery from a user performing battery swapping and performs charging, When charging each vehicle battery through commercial power supplied from the outside or power supplied from the uninterruptible power supply due to a power outage or emergency, the current state of charge of each vehicle battery is referred to and required for full charging of each vehicle battery. By performing load balancing to shorten the time, there is an effect of increasing the charging efficiency of each vehicle battery.

In addition, the present invention has the effect of improving the charging efficiency of each vehicle battery by using limited uninterruptible power as well as continuously supplying charging power to each vehicle battery even in a power outage or emergency situation.

1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a load balancing device of a vehicle battery charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram showing in detail the configuration of a charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram for explaining load balancing in the case of normal power supply applied to the present invention.
4 is a diagram for explaining load balancing using uninterruptible power when power is cut off due to a power outage or an emergency, which is applied to the present invention.
5 is a flowchart illustrating in detail the operation of a load balancing method of a vehicle battery charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a load balancing device and method for a vehicle battery charging station according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in each figure indicate like elements. In addition, specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments of the present invention are merely exemplified for the purpose of explaining the embodiments according to the present invention, and unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms These have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and unless explicitly defined in this specification, it should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning. It is preferable not to

In the present invention, a vehicle battery is described as an example, but is not limited thereto, and can be applied to all batteries that meet predetermined standards used in electric motorcycles, electric bicycles, electric kickboards, and the like.

1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a load balancing device of a vehicle battery charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 1, the present invention provides at least one charging station 100 equipped with a plurality of battery slots capable of replacing a discharged vehicle battery with a charged vehicle battery through battery swapping, and the at least one or more charging stations 100. A charging management server 200 that centrally manages the operation or maintenance of the charging station 100, management information of the at least one charging station 100, and storage and management of each vehicle battery and electric vehicle user information It is configured to include the database 300 and the like.

The charging station 100 inserts the vehicle battery discharged according to the operation of the electric vehicle into the empty battery slot 180 without the need for the user to wait for the vehicle battery to be charged, and then the other battery slot 180 is mounted It can be used by immediately replacing it with a charged vehicle battery. At this time, the user may first discharge the charged vehicle battery from the battery slot 180 and then insert the discharged vehicle battery into the corresponding battery slot 180 for use.

In particular, the charging station 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is in the process of charging a vehicle battery that requires charging inserted into a plurality of battery slots 180 through battery swapping, in case of a power outage or emergency situation (eg, a natural disaster). When commercial power is not supplied due to power system disconnection or short circuit due to disaster, the uninterruptible power supply device enables continuous supply of power for charging each vehicle battery.

In addition, the charging station 100 differentially supplies commercial power applied from the outside according to the amount of charge of each vehicle battery in a normal driving state, and when commercial power is cut off due to a power outage or emergency, the uninterruptible power supply device It includes a load balancing function that supplies uninterruptible power charged to the battery according to the charge amount of each vehicle battery.

That is, the charging efficiency of each vehicle battery can be increased by performing load balancing of the charging power supplied to each battery slot with reference to the current state of charge of each vehicle battery.

At this time, the load balancing method differs according to a state in which commercial power is normally supplied and a state in which uninterruptible power is supplied due to a power outage or an emergency.

For example, in a state in which commercial power is normally supplied, the charging station 100 differentially supplies commercial power with a voltage and current set in advance according to the current charge amount of the vehicle battery inserted for each battery slot, Load balancing is performed to reduce commercial power or load balancing to increase (in this case, whichever battery can be fully charged in the fastest time) load balancing that supplies the highest commercial power to one or a pair of vehicle batteries) can be performed.

In addition, the charging station 100, in a state in which uninterruptible power is supplied due to a power failure or an emergency, supplies uninterruptible power to a vehicle battery that can be fully charged in the fastest time among the vehicle batteries inserted for each battery slot, When the vehicle battery capable of being fully charged in the fastest time is fully charged according to the supply of the uninterruptible power, load balancing may be performed by supplying uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery having the fastest time to reach full charge in the next order. The reason why charging is performed from a vehicle battery that can be fully charged in the fastest time is to supply the uninterruptible power from a vehicle battery that can complete charging first since the supply amount is limited because the uninterruptible power source is charged power.

In addition, the charging station 100 may perform load balancing to differentially supply the uninterruptible power according to the current charging amount of the vehicle battery inserted for each battery slot in a manner similar to load balancing of the commercial power supply.

On the other hand, the charging station 100 recognizes an identification code (eg, QR code) attached to a discharged vehicle battery provided by a user performing battery swapping, and through connection information included in the recognized identification code. It can be configured to proceed with a communication connection to the charging management server 200 to perform activation, and to charge the vehicle battery based on the activation result.

In addition, the charging station 100 transfers battery state information including the amount of charge or the number of times of charge obtained through wireless communication including NFC from the vehicle battery mounted in the battery slot 180 to the charge management server 200 through a network. provided, so that the battery state information of the vehicle battery can be updated and managed by the charging management server 200.

That is, the charge management server 200 checks the battery status information of the vehicle battery received from the charging station 100, and as a result of the check, if the number of times of charging related to battery life exceeds a preset standard, the life is over. It is determined that the vehicle battery has reached the end of its lifespan, and information on the vehicle battery whose lifespan has expired is provided to a manager terminal (not shown) so that the vehicle battery located in the specific charging station 100 can be retrieved and replenished.

In addition, the charging station 100 directly pays the charging cost according to the user's battery swapping through a payment method (eg, credit card, etc.) provided by the user, or the user terminal (not shown) including a smartphone or the above Payment can be made in advance or postpaid through the charging management server 200 .

The charging management server 200 communicates with the at least one charging station 100 through a network and performs a function of integrally managing operation information or maintenance of the at least one charging station 100 .

For example, the charging management server 200 receives battery state information including the amount of charge or the number of times of charge of each vehicle battery from the charging station 100 through a network, and refers to the received battery state information for the vehicle. Check if the battery has reached the end of its service life. Subsequently, information on the vehicle battery that has expired is provided to the manager so that the vehicle battery is collected and a new vehicle battery is replenished.

The database 300 stores and manages information about the at least one charging station 100 disposed in a specific place and information about a vehicle battery using each of the charging stations 100 . For example, the installation location, product number, etc. of the charging station 100 are stored and managed, and specification information, product number, etc. for each vehicle battery possessed by each user are stored and managed.

2 is a diagram showing in detail the configuration of a charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the charging station 100 includes a shutter opening/closing unit 110, a vehicle battery insertion detection unit 120, a control unit 130, a display unit 140, a log collection unit 150, a communication interface unit ( 160), a charging controller 170, a battery slot 180, an adapter 190, and the like.

In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the charging station 100 includes a processor, a memory, a bus connecting them, various interface cards, etc. in terms of hardware, and programs to be driven through the processor in the memory in terms of software. It is stored, and may further include a user interface and an update management unit for managing updates of various operation programs so as to perform operations according to commands from a user or a network.

The shutter opening/closing unit 110 opens and closes the shutter 181 in the process of inserting and discharging the vehicle battery into each of the battery slots 180 based on the control of the controller 130 .

The vehicle battery insertion detection unit 120 detects whether a vehicle battery is inserted into each of the plurality of battery slots 180 and provides the detection result to the charging control unit 170 .

The control unit 130 controls the opening and closing of the shutter 181 provided in any one of the plurality of battery slots 180 through the shutter opening and closing unit 110, so that the user has the charged vehicle battery Perform swapping to exchange with a discharged vehicle battery.

In addition, the controller 130 controls the log collection unit 150 to generate a log for usage information for each user who swaps the vehicle battery, and sends the generated log to the communication interface unit 160. It controls what is provided to the charge management server 200 through. Through this, the charging management server 200 stores and manages the location, time, number of times of use, battery information (eg, manufacturing date, number of charging times, etc.) of each user who performed battery swapping in the database 300. can In addition, the charging management server 200 provides targeted customized services according to each user's use pattern based on information on swapping use of the vehicle battery for each user (eg, information on when vehicle battery charging is required, operation according to battery consumption) habit guidance, etc.) can be provided.

In addition, the control unit 130 controls uninterruptible power supply and load balancing when charging each vehicle battery connected by wire to the adapter 190 provided in the battery slot 180 through the charging control unit 170, Through the display unit 140, it is possible to control the display of charging state information, vehicle battery swapping guidance, and the like.

In addition, when the user performs swapping of the vehicle battery, the control unit 130 prevents the user from getting caught by closing the shutter 181 while the user's hand is located in the battery slot 180 through a sensor (not shown) You can control what you do.

The display unit 140 is composed of an LED, an LCD, etc., and may be provided on the front side of the charging station 100 or for each battery slot 180. Through the control of the control unit 130, the charging state of the vehicle battery, Information on swapping of the vehicle battery is displayed. In addition, information on payment guidance for using the charging service may be displayed.

In addition, the display unit 140 may display the fully charged state or the charging state of the vehicle battery installed in the battery slot 180 in different colors or in stages. For example, it is displayed in green when fully charged or in red when charging, or by dividing and displaying the charging stage into a plurality of stages, so that the user can see the color change or step-by-step change displayed through the display unit 140. It is possible to intuitively check whether a swappable vehicle battery exists and whether it is being charged.

The log collection unit 150 generates a log of usage information, payment information, and the like for each user who swaps the vehicle battery under the control of the control unit 130 .

The communication interface unit 160 receives control information or upgrade information for driving the charging station 100 from the charging management server 200 and provides it to the control unit 130, and the log collection unit 150 The log information generated in is transmitted to the charge management server 200 through a network.

The charging control unit 170 controls the charging of each vehicle battery connected by wire through the adapter 190 provided in each of the plurality of battery slots 180, and the power supply unit 171, the uninterruptible power supply unit 172, and the load. It is configured to include a balancing unit 173, an adapter state recognition unit 174, a battery status information check unit 175, a battery protection unit 176, and the like.

The power supply unit 171 supplies commercial power for charging the vehicle battery to the adapter 190, converts it into DC used in the vehicle battery, and supplies it.

The uninterruptible power supply unit 172 provides uninterrupted power for charging vehicle batteries inserted into each of the plurality of battery slots 180 provided in the charging station 100 . That is, when the supply of commercial power is cut off due to a power outage or an emergency situation, the previously charged uninterruptible power is supplied so that the vehicle battery can be continuously charged.

The load balancing unit 173 load balances the commercial power supplied from the power supply unit 171 to charge the vehicle batteries inserted into the plurality of battery slots 180, or commercial power due to a power outage or emergency. When cut off, it performs a function of load balancing the uninterruptible power supplied from the uninterruptible power supply unit 172.

That is, for each vehicle battery that is inserted into the battery slot 180 and requires charging, commercial power is supplied to the vehicle battery through the power supply unit 171, or uninterruptible power is supplied to the vehicle battery through the uninterruptible power supply unit 172. When supplying to the battery, load balancing is performed to increase the charging efficiency of each vehicle battery.

In particular, performing load balancing to supply uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery through the uninterruptible power supply unit 172 is a major feature of the present invention, and each vehicle battery inserted into the battery slot 180 with limited uninterruptible power In order to improve the charging efficiency of the battery slot 180, load balancing may be performed to sequentially supply uninterruptible power in the order of vehicle batteries that can be fully charged in the fastest time among vehicle batteries inserted into the battery slot 180. In addition, in the same way as load balancing of commercial power, load balancing may be performed to differentially supply the uninterruptible power to each vehicle battery with reference to the current charge amount of the vehicle battery inserted for each battery slot.

Here, conventional load balancing is to ensure that, when a plurality of internal cells are provided in any one battery pack, the charging of the internal cells proceeds similarly. As in the present invention, in a charging station equipped with a plurality of battery slots It is different from load balancing and supplying power for charging vehicle batteries inserted into each battery slot.

Meanwhile, the load balancing unit 173 load-balances commercial power provided from the power supply unit 171 or uninterrupted power provided from the uninterruptible power supply unit 172, and vehicle batteries installed in the battery slots 180, respectively. In the process of charging, when the charging of the vehicle battery inserted into any one of the plurality of battery slots is completed, commercial power provided from the power supply unit 171 for the vehicle battery or the uninterruptible power supply unit 172 ), the power supply can be stopped immediately, and load balancing can be performed only for the remaining vehicle batteries that need to be charged.

In addition, in the process of charging the vehicle batteries mounted in the battery slots 180 through load balancing, the load balancing unit 173 recharges a vehicle battery that needs to be charged in any one of the plurality of battery slots. Once inserted, load balancing for each vehicle battery that is currently being performed may be temporarily stopped, and load balancing may be performed again for all vehicle batteries that require charging.

The adapter state recognition unit 174 checks whether the vehicle battery is correctly connected to the adapter 190 and whether the adapter 190 operates normally.

The battery state information checking unit 175 performs wireless communication including NFC, Bluetooth, ZigBee, and beacon with each vehicle battery installed in the battery slot 180, and performs state of charge (SoC) for each vehicle battery. ), the number of recharges (SoH: State of Health), battery failure, or a combination thereof.

In particular, the battery status information checking unit 175 performs wireless communication with the vehicle batteries inserted into the battery slots 180 to check the amount of charge, and determines whether or not charging is necessary according to the checked amount of charge. A result (that is, a result of whether or not charging is required) is provided to the load balancing unit 173.

The battery protection unit 176 is inserted into the battery slot 180 and checks whether overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharging occur in the vehicle battery being charged. ), or the uninterruptible power supplied through the uninterruptible power supply unit 172 is blocked.

The battery slot 180 is a space in which the vehicle battery is accommodated, and is provided with a plurality, and a shutter 181 is provided on the front side. At this time, a display unit 140 may be provided on the front or outside of the battery slot 180 to display the state of charge of the vehicle battery stored therein.

The adapter 190 is provided in each of the battery slots 180 and electrically connects the vehicle battery and the charging controller 170 to supply power so that the vehicle battery is charged.

3 is a diagram for explaining load balancing in the case of normal power supply applied to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, in a normal driving state in which commercial power supplied through the power supply unit 171 is supplied to the battery slot to charge each vehicle battery, the load balancing unit 173 supplies the commercial power to the battery slot. Load balancing is performed to differentially supply power by referring to the charge amount of each vehicle battery in which charging is performed. At this time, the uninterruptible power supply unit 172 charges the capacitor provided therein by the commercial power supplied from the power supply unit 171 .

For example, when charging four vehicle batteries at the same time, assuming that the current charge amount of each vehicle battery is 10%, 30%, 50%, and 90%, the load balancing unit 173 is fully charged in the fastest time. Supply the most power to the vehicle battery with a possible 90% charge, then supply the second most power to the vehicle battery with a 50% charge that can be fully charged at the fastest rate, followed by the 30% battery that can be fully charged at the fastest rate. Load balancing can be performed by supplying the third most power to the vehicle battery showing the amount of charge and supplying the least power to the vehicle battery showing the 10% charge amount that can be fully charged in the slowest time.

At this time, the load balancing unit 173, on the contrary, supplies the most power to the vehicle battery showing a 10% charge amount that can be fully charged in the slowest time and the vehicle battery showing a 90% charge amount that can be fully charged in the fastest time, and the remaining vehicles It is also possible to perform load balancing to supply less power to the battery.

4 is a diagram for explaining load balancing using uninterruptible power when power is cut off due to a power outage or an emergency, which is applied to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4 , when a power outage or emergency situation occurs and the commercial power supplied through the power supply unit 171 is cut off, the uninterruptible power stored in the uninterruptible power supply unit 172 is supplied to the battery slot and each The vehicle battery is charged.

In this way, when the uninterruptible power is supplied from the uninterruptible power supply unit 172 to the battery slot to charge each vehicle battery, the load balancing unit 173 may use two load balancing methods.

In the first load balancing method, the load balancing unit 173 supplies the uninterruptible power to the uninterruptible power charged in the uninterruptible power supply unit 172 within the fastest time among vehicle batteries inserted for each battery slot until all the uninterruptible power is discharged. The vehicle battery capable of being fully charged is supplied with the highest priority, and when the vehicle battery capable of being fully charged in the fastest time according to the supply of the uninterruptible power is fully charged, the uninterruptible power for the vehicle capable of being fully charged is then supplied.

For example, if it is assumed that the current charging amount of each vehicle battery is 10%, 30%, 50%, and 90% when charging four vehicle batteries at the same time, the load balancing unit 173 converts the uninterruptible power to the fastest Load balancing to supply the uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery showing 90% charge that can be fully charged in time is given first, and to the vehicle battery that shows 50%, 30%, and 10% charge in turn according to the full charge. can

The second load balancing method, similar to the load balancing of commercial power described in FIG. 3, is a method in which the load balancing unit 173 differentially supplies the uninterruptible power by referring to the charge amount of each vehicle battery in which charging is performed. .

Next, an embodiment of a load balancing method for a vehicle battery charging station according to the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 . At this time, the order of each step according to the method of the present invention may be changed by a user environment or a person skilled in the art.

5 is a flowchart illustrating in detail the operation of a load balancing method of a vehicle battery charging station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5 , when the vehicle battery is discharged according to the operation of the electric vehicle, the user visits the place where the charging station 100 is installed with the discharged vehicle battery.

Thereafter, the charging station 100 determines whether the user manipulates an external input means (eg, a touch pad) to perform vehicle battery swapping (S100). That is, the charging station 100 determines whether battery swapping is performed by exchanging a discharged vehicle battery with a charged vehicle battery by an electric vehicle user.

When battery swapping is performed by the user as a result of the determination in step S100, the charging station 100 detects whether vehicle batteries are inserted into the plurality of battery slots 180 (S200).

Next, the charging station 100 performs wireless communication with the vehicle battery inserted into each battery slot 180 based on the result detected in step S200 to check the current charge amount and determine whether charging is required according to the checked charge amount. Check whether or not (S300).

Subsequently, the charging station 100 performs load balancing to differentially supply commercial power applied from the outside according to the amount of charge of each vehicle battery inserted into the plurality of battery slots 180 identified in step S300, , so that the vehicle batteries inserted into the battery slots 180 are charged (S400).

In the process of charging each vehicle battery according to load balancing using commercial power, the charging station 100 determines whether the supply of the commercial power is cut off due to a power outage or an emergency (S500).

As a result of the determination in S500, when the supply of the commercial power is cut off due to a power outage or an emergency situation, the charging station 100 supplies the uninterruptible power charged in the uninterruptible power supply unit 172 to the battery slot 180, respectively. It is supplied to the vehicle battery to be charged (S600).

At this time, the charging station 100 determines the uninterruptible power charged in the uninterruptible power supply unit 172 in the order from the vehicle battery capable of being fully charged in the earliest time to the vehicle battery capable of being fully charged in the latest time among the charge amounts of each of the identified vehicle batteries. It is possible to perform load balancing by sequentially supplying

In addition, the charging station 100 may perform load balancing in which the uninterruptible power charged in the uninterruptible power supply unit 173 is differentially supplied with reference to the confirmed charging amount of each vehicle battery.

On the other hand, although not shown in the drawing, the charging station 100 checks whether overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharging occur in the vehicle battery, and if overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharging occur as a result of the check, power supplied to the vehicle battery Battery protection can be performed by shutting off.

In addition, the charging station 100 equally supplies uninterruptible power to each vehicle battery inserted into each battery slot 180 through load balancing to perform charging. It is determined whether the charging of the vehicle battery is completed or whether a vehicle battery requiring charging is newly inserted into one of the empty battery slots 180 .

As a result of the determination, when the charging of the vehicle battery inserted into any one of the battery slots 180 is completed, the charging station 100 immediately stops supplying power to the vehicle battery that has been charged, and the remaining vehicle batteries that need to be charged. You can perform load balancing for

In addition, as a result of the determination, when a vehicle battery requiring charging is newly inserted into any one of the empty battery slots 180, the charging station 100 temporarily suspends the load balancing currently in progress, and loads the newly inserted vehicle battery into the empty battery slot. Load balancing can be performed for all vehicle batteries that require charging, including batteries as well as existing vehicle batteries.

In this way, the present invention is a charging station equipped with a plurality of battery slots that receives a discharged vehicle battery from a user performing battery swapping and performs charging, commercial power supplied from the outside, or uninterrupted power due to power failure or emergency occurrence. When charging each vehicle battery through the power supplied from the power supply unit, load balancing is performed to shorten the time required for full charging of each vehicle battery by referring to the current state of charge of each vehicle battery. Charging efficiency can be increased.

In addition, the present invention can improve the charging efficiency of each vehicle battery by using limited uninterruptible power as well as continuously supplying charging power to each vehicle battery even in a power outage or emergency situation.

As described above, the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but this is only exemplary, and various modifications and other equivalent embodiments will be made by those skilled in the art in the field to which the technology belongs. You will understand that it is possible. Therefore, the technical protection scope of the present invention will be determined by the claims below.

100: charging station 110: shutter opening part
120: vehicle battery insertion detection unit 130: control unit
140: display unit 150: log collection unit
160: communication interface unit 170: charging control unit
171: power unit 172: uninterruptible power supply unit
173: load balancing unit 174: adapter state recognition unit
175: battery status information check unit 176: battery protection unit
180: battery slot 181: shutter
190: adapter 200: charging management server
300: database

Claims (10)

a power supply unit supplying power for charging vehicle batteries inserted into a plurality of battery slots provided in the charging station; and
A load balancing unit for load balancing the power supplied from the power supply unit and supplying the power to vehicle batteries inserted into the battery slots respectively;
Load balancing is performed to reduce the time required for full charging in the order of the vehicle battery that can be fully charged in the earliest time and the vehicle battery that can be fully charged in the latest time by receiving the amount of charge from each of the vehicle batteries. Load balancing device for vehicle battery charging station. The method of claim 1,
The device,
a vehicle battery insertion detection unit for detecting whether a vehicle battery is inserted in each of the battery slots; and
Further comprising a battery state information checking unit for checking the amount of charge of the vehicle battery inserted into each of the battery slots,
The load balancing unit,
The load balancing device of the vehicle battery charging station, characterized in that it further comprises performing load balancing to differentially supply the power with a voltage and current set in advance with reference to the checked amount of charge of each vehicle battery. The method of claim 2,
The device,
When the power is cut off due to a power outage or an emergency situation, an uninterruptible power supply unit supplying previously charged uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery; further comprising,
The load balancing unit,
When the supply of the power is cut off, a load that sequentially supplies the uninterruptible power charged to the uninterruptible power supply unit in the order of the vehicle battery that can be fully charged in the fastest time among the vehicle batteries with reference to the charge amount of each vehicle battery checked above. A load balancing device for a vehicle battery charging station, further comprising performing balancing. The method of claim 2,
The device,
When the power is cut off due to a power outage or an emergency situation, an uninterruptible power supply unit supplying previously charged uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery; further comprising,
The load balancing unit,
When the supply of the power is cut off, performing load balancing to differentially supply the uninterruptible power charged to the uninterruptible power supply unit with reference to the checked amount of charge of each vehicle battery Charging the vehicle battery, characterized in that it further comprises Station load balancing device. The method of claim 1,
The device,
A battery protection unit that checks whether overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharge occur in the vehicle battery, and cuts off power supplied to the vehicle battery when overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharge occur as a result of the check. Load balancing device for battery charging station. A power supply step of supplying, at the charging station, power for charging vehicle batteries each inserted into a plurality of battery slots; and
A load balancing step of load balancing the supplied power and supplying the supplied power to vehicle batteries respectively inserted into the battery slots;
Load balancing is performed to reduce the time required for full charging in the order of the vehicle battery that can be fully charged in the earliest time and the vehicle battery that can be fully charged in the latest time by receiving the amount of charge from each of the vehicle batteries. Load balancing method for vehicle battery charging station. The method of claim 6,
The method,
A vehicle battery insertion detection step of detecting whether a vehicle battery is inserted in each of the battery slots; and
Further comprising a battery state information checking step of checking the charge amount of the vehicle battery inserted for each battery slot,
The load balancing step,
The load balancing method of the vehicle battery charging station further comprising performing load balancing to differentially supply the power with a voltage and current set in advance with reference to the checked amount of charge of each vehicle battery. The method of claim 7,
The method,
Further comprising: an uninterruptible power supply step of supplying pre-charged uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery when the power is cut off due to a power failure or an emergency situation,
The load balancing step,
When the supply of the power is cut off, referring to the amount of charge of each of the checked vehicle batteries, the uninterruptible power charged in the uninterruptible power supply is sequentially supplied in order of the vehicle batteries that can be fully charged in the fastest time among the vehicle batteries. Load balancing Load balancing method of a vehicle battery charging station, characterized in that it further comprises performing. The method of claim 7,
The method,
Further comprising: an uninterruptible power supply step of supplying pre-charged uninterruptible power to the vehicle battery when the power is cut off due to a power failure or an emergency situation,
The load balancing step,
When the supply of the power is cut off, with reference to the checked amount of charge of each vehicle battery, performing load balancing to differentially supply the uninterruptible power charged to the uninterruptible power supply unit Vehicle battery charging station, characterized in that it further comprises load balancing method. The method of claim 6,
The method,
A battery protection step of checking whether overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharging occur in the vehicle battery, and if overcurrent, overvoltage, and overcharging occur as a result of the checking, cutting off power supplied to the vehicle battery; for a vehicle, characterized in that it further comprises Load balancing method for battery charging station.

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